My Watch Journey

[Samanator]

During this time I experimented with a few quartz sports and dive watches. The First was the ultra large Eco-Drive 300Meter diver. I purchased the adaptors so I could use other straps. This was just a bit to big and awkward for me.




This strange looking diver focused on being a substitute for a dive computer. It was a Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Aqualand Diver. It had a dive timer activated when it went in the water and also had a depth gauge. It had a strap that was so long it would fit over any type of dive suite or wetsuit. Surprisingly this fit me well. It was just a bit too complex to use for me.












During this time I had spent a great deal of time studying G-Shocks to determine which one I want. I wanted the Solar models with the Atomic time setting and keeping. I had my search down to a GW-5xxx, Mudman, Riseman, Frogman and a Pathfinder. One of the member at WUS published how he arrived at selecting the Atomic/Solar Riseman. His logic seems sound to me so I followed him and bought this model.

Here it is during a test for temperature measuring going through a cycle in the freezer to the point the temperature measuring shut down (I beleive it does this at -10F). I was so impressed how well this went through a time change and took care of itself I gave my father a Mudman Atomic Solar that year for Christmas. So he knew something about it before wearing it I had a letter I wrote to him explaining to him all about the watch and how rugged it was. I did this because I though he might think it was a bit too much form and function wise and not like it. As it turned out just the opposite came about. He loved the watch and wanted everyone he knew to buy one. This was a little stange to me since he never mentioned that I bought him a Rolex Sub about a year before that, that we traded in to get an Explorer about 6 months later since he wanted smaller, and lighter.

I have to admit for me the G-Shock just has too many modes and functions for me. Look at the inch thick book

About the same time as the G-Shock I decided I would try a Suunto Core. I actually had this one twice in the black model. This has one of the better storm warning systems which is quite helpful when driving a distance for warning of the thunderstorms here. This is a much easier watch to use that the G-Shock, but it does not have solar. The second one I gifted to our neighbors oldest son a few years later. He loved it. I wound up as the other two boy got older giving each of them one also. I moved over to another Core model two years ago. More on that later. I always bought the strap adapters for mine so I could use my 24mm strap collection.




I also tried the Citizen Eco-Drive Diver which I found nice, but again just a bit much for me.



More from this time in the next post.

[Samanator]

Just to update the count we are at 288 lifetime watches with about six and a half years to go. More consolidation continues. So in some cases two or three watches go to be replaced by one. During this time my collection varies between 5-17 watches. Plus in about a year from this time my great watch collecting epiphany occurs. In the next post the quest for the uber Diver occurs.


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[Samanator]

If it is not clear by now I'm kind of into dive watches. These are my staple. So I wanted what would be my ultimate dive watch. This quest began at some point in 2010. I was going to take my time. Since the watch would be in either SS or Titanium I knew the watch would be in a range that had an upper limit on price. Since even the most expensive of the group was within the budget price was not a factor. I wanted some thing that stood out (In a good way), maybe had a bit of history, and well had a bit of Ooh and Ahh factor. It also had to be comfortable.

Things like the CX Swiss 20,000 diver were put on the bench rather quickly. In this case it was just because you can, does not mean you should. One spec takes this out rather quickly. The 28.5mm thickness is three Sub Mariners on top of each other. Think about that for a minute. It looks like a large golf ball with with lugs on a bracelet.


The Rolex Deep Sea Sea Dweller (DSSD)was in the mix. It was pretty new at this point, and had a bit of a following.


The AP Royal Oak was out since it was not really a dive watch, and the Offshore models did not come out yet. The same for the PP Nautilus.

Panerai were left out since I was not yet ready for a Pam to be on my wrist again.

Omega was not initially in since I did not see the PO as an ultimate diver. Then later that year the Ploprof came back out of nowhere, and Omega had a contender.


The Blacpain Fifty Fathoms was in with the 45mm model since the Bathyscape had not been released.



I included the JLC Navy Seals models, the GP SeaHawk, and the UN Maximarine. I really did not see anything else fitting the bill. For about a year and a half I tried them all multiple times, and whittled down the list.





Some fell off after the first try like the JLC, even though I did go back and retry it two more times with the same opinion. It just did not feel solid (try the Rubber bracelet), the dial looked like a molded piece of plastic, and initial reviews and customer reports had it as a quality nightmare. The UN fell off which was a big surprise to me. I had been shopping this one for many years before this, and was in love with it. Now ready to pony up it felt too cartoonish. Sorry the picture should have been the Titanium model on a bracelet.

Others took a bit more to fall off like the GP Seahawk. It came down to the BP, the DSSD and the Omega Ploprof in the end. In 2011 Omega released a white dial (true white not light silver) lversion of the Ploprof that set it apart from all the other black dialed watches. During a west coast trip to Toppers I first got to see the white dial version. It stuck in my head, and I kept going back to the Omega site to look at it (Always a good indicator). One day Rob called and asked if I had any Omega in my collection. At that time the answer was no. I told him the only thing I really liked was the white Ploprof, so we made a deal. During my write up of the Ocean 7 LM-7 I talked about the wear qualities of this design. Add that nothing else in the watch world looks like a Ploprof, except copies of a Ploprof. By this I mean it is not a round or square case with lugs. I'm not quite sure what you would call the case shape? The white had a reverse lume bezel insert that had far more glow then the black dial version. I was not too keen on the white rubber strap so I ordered the shark mesh. The hands do not get lost on the dial. The crown protector evolved from the old version that looked like a nut on the end, to the precision guard fixed to a slide that extends as you thread out the crown. It also serves like a open or close indicator like the Panerai lever. Here was tuff, and finesse all in one watch. That seemed to be qualities for all of my final three. So the Omega Ploprof became my ultimate dive watch.
















These were also the first Omega divers that had the new 85xx movement in them. This was the start of a new relationship with Omega. Admittedly it is a love/hate relationship which I go into more in a few posts.

The other two finalist have always been in the back of my mind since choosing the Ploprof. It was that close.

Check this one in as Lifetime watch 289.

[Samanator]

So a new brand came on my radar in 2009 that I had not seen before. Primarily it started with a watch I tried for find information for that had a bright orange central section to it's body. I was having no luck. Then a Watch Time article had a story on this brand started by two British brothers who started a UK based watch company whose surname ironically was English. There was a recount of how they got the French name Bremont which was the name of a French farmer who helped them out in a jam with one of their vintage aircraft. Many of their core offerings were shown in the article including the Orange core watch the MBII. At the end of 2010 Rob and I were discussing what brand they should add to the store. With no pause at all I said you need to be Bremont AD. There was little to no presence in the US. Rob met with them at Basel that year, and by August they were the newest Bremont AD. We also established the Bremont forum over at the other place. So it is not hard to guess which was my first Bremont...The Orange barreled MBII. I mentioned this mostly to point out there are two other barrel color options for the watch (green and black) which you can change in the first year of ownership (if you pay the shipping back to Bremont) should you not like your original choice. The MBII which stands for Martin-Baker (the ejection Seat Manufacturer) is the MB three hand version for standard customers. The MB 1 is reserved for those people who have an official MB record of ejecting from an Aircraft with a Martin Baker ejection seat (This are used by several countries Air Forces). You will note the symbol of the Dial of the MBII that provided a visual representation of the anti-shock protection device that isolated the movement from the case. Also note the back of the second hand follows the color scheme of the ejection trigger handles on a MB ejection seat. Other features of the MB are the internal bezel activated by the second crown. All Bremont use a three part case system they call trip tech that is hardened by the same process used by Rolls-Royce aircraft engine turbine blades.









I love the wrist hugging fit of the MB. I did not like the crown operation so much. It is not screw down and the first detent is quite firm to maintain WR compression on the seal. The double AR on a Bremont is about the best there is.

Next we tried the Cream dial ALT-1C Chronograph. I was familiar with this watch configuration since it is a similar ETA movement with the DP chrono module (the Bremont is COSC) that Ball uses for the Trainmaster Cannon Ball. Fortunately Bremont did not make the same mistake Ball did (that has kept me from buying one of the Cannon Balls). Ball placed the date at the 12 which is partially blocked by the second hand if the chronograph is not running. Bremont wisely chose to place it at the 6 so it is not blocked.







My favorite Bremont is the Super Marine 500. I've had the SS and the DLC cases.





So add four to my lifetime count which would be 293 watches at this point.

[Samanator]

Towards the end of 2011 and the first few months of 2012 as few significant watches came in. My first Speed came in. Rob had this older model that was converted by Omega with the white dial and dark grey hands. It was very striking ,and showed me how well the speed design fit the wrist. It think this is a key to a watch Icon. Just like the Sub the Speedy fits pretty much everyone well. Add that this look I like better than the black dial. It was what drew me to the Silver Snoopy later on, but that was done so much better.






During a Caribbean cruse at the beginning of December 2011 I made several contacts with store managers at a few places. Kind of my thing to do on vacation. During our time in St Thomas one such manager of the Little Switzerland shops there took my wife and I to several of their stores to try on a few pieces. We tried several JLC, a few Breitling, Carl F. Bucherer, Cartier and PP. What I did see was that Breitling was using them to get rid of inventory, especially Chronographs that did not have the in-house movement. They had many signs showing 65% off of retail that included two Breitling straps also in the deal. This was when I discovered that the Super Ocean Heritage fit me well. I waited until January and called up my new manager friend and we worked out a deal on the White dial with blue bezel SOH 46 on the mesh.



This is such a stunning watch that is ruined by possibly the worst clasp made. I had to keep bending back the thin flimsy POS to get it to open or close. I can forgive the aluminum insert on a watch at this price point and the lack of a pip also. I cannot forgive that the company that everyone would site as the best bracelets in the business before this could totally miss with this. I understand at Basel this year (2017) that they introduced a new version of this with the Tudor/Breitling 3 hand movement, ceramic bezel insert with pip, but no word that they fixed the clasp. Sad. I've never tried so hard to keep a watch, but the more I wore it the more I hated the clasp. I think it made 9 months.




The other significant watch from this time was a new higher end Seiko. This was the arrival of a New Tuna only this time with the Automatic movement in the 51mm Titanium DLC case. I sold off the 600MM since I had always hoped there would be a Tuna with Spring Drive some day. The Tuna appealed to me since it had a great history as the Uber Diver from Japan. This new interest in watches that were latest versions that had a bit of history became a new direction for me. I sort of coined the term Modern Vintage for this watch type. Something the Ploprof had shown me how cool this watch type could be. The Ploprof looks super rugged and the heft backs up the look. The Tuna while light just looks indestructible. The black case and ceramic guard add to that feel. While the accuracy was decent is was not even in the ball park of the Spring Drive MM600. Nothing else with a mechanical movement is. This stayed with me for about 6 months. When I sold it I announced at the old place that I was holding out for Seiko to bring out a Spring Drive Tuna. Ironically Seiko announced the day after this that their new SD Tuna would be out that summer. At this time I had no Seiko connections, so this was pure coincidence. My order was in a few seconds later with Seiya since it was a JDM watch back then. More on that later.






Like the Ploprof the shrouded lugs of the Tuna make it wear much smaller that the 51 case size. Even though thick, the Titanium case and rubber strap keep this feeling very balanced on the wrist.

So add three more to my lifetime total bringing us to 296..

[Samanator]

We could title this post two hours with the Seiko Golden Spring Drive Tuna.

When these were first announced this was the first picture out. I was not certain about the gold bezel, but I did understand the history there. I really did not like that they chose to not use the Tuna hands shape that had graced all previous Tuna models. Seiko seems to think they these are the ultimate diver hands since they seemed to be putting them on several models (Remeber my last mod). At least these were caped like previous SD watches. I figured OK let's see how this goes. About a month later some mixed pictures started to show up .


Some had the capped hands like in this photo. Plus it had me really questioning the gold.




Some did not have capped hands. Add to this Seiko released the SD Land Master which had a capped PR hand and an uncapped second hand. Little thing but it bothered me.

When it did show up it was the very glossy gold not the more subdued gold from the original picture. It was just too much so I sent it back. About a year later I did try the all black one. It was a bit better, but just a bit to glossy for a Tuna on the bezel(always had finger prints), and those hands. Why you would use those over the ones on the Auto Tuna are besides me?








So add two more to the total putting me at 298.

[Samanator]

A lot of my watch purchases happen months after a visit to Toppers or other AD. I see something there and I kind of like it. Then a 3-4 weeks passes and I start to think about a piece more. Then I start looking at pictures more of the piece. Then more and more I'm reading anything I can find on it. In this case what I kept coming back to was when Rob first showed me the watch he said it had the best blue dial he had ever seen at that time. The piece in question would be my first test of the water in a more elite brand. It also seemed to fit into this developing love of Modern Vintage pieces. It also had a nice big date which at this point in time that was important. It also had a well made bracelet, but it took owning it to actually appreciate how innovative it really was. The watch was modeled after the TV dialed watches of the 1070's. So in this case it was the Glashutte Original Seventies Panodate. This maybe the all time chameleon of dials. Depending on light it can be Blue, Purple, Grey and any where in between those colors. I don't think the dial has the same color in any two pictures I have. When It arrived later than expected one evening I ran upstair and was going to try and size it quickly if I could since we had to leave in a fe minutes. Little did I know that GO had come up with one of the quickest sizing systems I've seen in a bracelet. Turn the screw (cam) on the back of the link a 1/4 turn, push the pin out, and move to the next link to remove. Reverse this to join it back together. I pulled two links out from each side of the clasp and had the bracelet back together in less than two minute. Fin adjustments are by pushing the logo on the clasp which releases the micro adjust and just let go when it is where you want it. I was out the door in less than 2.5 minutes. It literally took me longer to open the box. Though it had a date the GO held the place as my dress watch. The date made it far more livable for daily use and so did the classic styling. This watch has a bit of weight to it, mostly due to the sturdy construction of the bracelet. This may be the longest a sort of dress watch stayed in my collection. I believe I had it about 2-1/2 years.



















I've actually owned this watch twice. the second time was the newer model with the blue date wheel. Did not like it with that as much, plus the watch seemed too heavy to me now.

So add two more to my lifetime count which makes it an even 300 so far.

[Samanator]

Looking a few posts back and seeing the Tunas I thought I need to get one back. It seems to be a Diver I should have in my collection. First thought was the quartz Darth Tuna, but the day date really kills it for me. So the one I liked, but sold because who would have known Seiko would put different hands on the Spring Drive Tuna after all others had the nice hands for 30 years. So I need a SBDX thinking the 013 might do it , but it has the same hands as the SD Tuna so it's out. So I guess I need to find a SBDX011 which I liked and sold like an idiot. Seems I'm not really loving Seiko's recent product decisions lately.




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[Samanator]

I mentioned a few posts back about my watch epiphany which occurred in this time frame. Looking back at my collecting over the years I thought about when I liked my watches the most. I would have to blame the internet on my dissatisfaction with my collection at that time,but not for reasons you might think. I think one of the things that happens ( at least for me it was) is seeing others collection you start thinking I need one of those in my collection. Add the threads on blogs like the ten watches that should be in every collection. Then the term that gets floated quite often...you have a balanced collection. When I did I was not happy...and here come the epiphany thing because I had a bunch of watches I thought I needed to achieve balance, but never wore. Why was this? Oddly looking at the ultra high end discussion that has been waging for a bit here I can credit trying on the Patek. I appreciate what they represent and the complications (you can put any ultra high end brand here). For me though I hated them, yet I started thinking about which to add since my collection needed one. Otherwise it may not be balanced?

So back to the happy thing. It seemed I'm most happy when I have less watches so I wear what I have more. Ok that is point one. Point two I'm most happy when I have one or two watches that dominate my wrist time. Point three the dominate watches are almost always sport watches, and nine times out of ten divers (some thing with at least 150m WR). My life has a lot of water in it, and fancy straps get destroyed or damaged on my wrist. Watches that have non- WR straps tend to stay in the box. When I do wear them I catch myself with them submerged in water not thinking about it. Then I panic, and generally stop wearing it if I ever wear it at all. Point four is I have absolutely no need for any watch that is not a sport watch. This is the one that is the most true, and is one that is very hard for me to abide by. I've tried to break this one more with creative ways of trying to justify things. I've used every excuse possible to add something I don't need (sometimes multiple times), and I will admit I have been quite creative in convincing myself to buy these things. Like maybe if it's just a couple hundred dollar quartz watch you'll wear it, or maybe if you spend $16k for it you'll wear it. It just never works, when I break point 4 (maybe I should call it a rule not a point) it just spends time in the box until sold. It is almost certain if you see a watch as I move forward that has a fancy leather or Croc strap it's gone , or will be. I've broken rule 4 more than I care to admit so I'm far beyond Einstein's definition of insanity exponentially.

Of the four rules if you will I've found at the moment I can be happy with more than one or two watches I really like. Even with this rule two still applies. I have dominate favorites. I need to just stick to rule three to be happy when deciding what to buy. I've done pretty well here, but even with that some other factors come into play as you will see.

So this has evolved into my sport watch only mantra. Now if I could just stick to it. Not so easy, at least not for me with some other factors.


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[Samanator]

Just after they arrived at the Rolex AD in 2010 the Ceramic Hulk in the window of the store was nearly a guarantee that I would have my nose pressed to the glass, or in the store trying it on. At certain points this was going on while I was also looking at the DSSD there during my Uber diver search. I was purposely procrastinating thinking like the DSSD that I was being offered at a discount I could do better than retail. My last touch with the brand was buying my dad a Sub that we later changed for the 36mm Explorer. This time I was being introduced to the reality of modern Rolex inventory control for their hotter watches. I did not realize these were so hard to get that finding one became a jump on it now or it will be sold by the next day. Then by the time you found another one the retail price had gone up $200-$500 nearly every six months. Even the preowned sites like Bob's were getting $1500-$2000 above retail for a preowned watch. In the 2-1/2 years that I screwed around thinking the price is going to go down, but it just kept going up. I believe I wound up paying nearly $2000 over what it would have cost had I bought the first one I found in 2010. Now if you wanted black dial with or without date those were plentiful and available at a discount. Until last year the Hulks were still hard to find, with the BLNR being one of the new harder to find Rolex. This was my first of many current Rolex's. Compared to my previous sub this was just so much better in every way. Rolex had with the Sub C line gone from an out of date weak bracelet and clasp, to the standard of the industry. The Sub C are approaching nearly 10 years now and have you heard of a bracelet stretching out on one. The old one would be due for a replacement. If you like the old thinner (weaker) looking case with drilled lugs sorry the new is better, stronger and seems to fit any wrist size. It's also has some of the best case dimensions while other brands have just gotten thick. There are very few watches the have the balance, and feel of a Sub on the wrist. This is aided by glidelock micro adjust in the clasp. This one was being delivered in Rolex green that is just stunning in the light. So the Rolex Hulk was the first of two Rolex I would add to the collection in 2012.







The second Rolex in 2012 also had green in it, but in this case it was a tint in the Crystal. I arrived at the GV Milgauss after shopping it against the other Milgauss in the line, the white and black Explorer II, Datejust, DSSD.... The green crystal just made it so different and cool. Add the lightning bolt second hand and orange lume that seem so playful for a Rolex. It is heavy though with it's iron core shielding the movement, and it does not have a date. It is a great all around watch if you don't need the date function. It actually goes equally as well with jeans and a t-shirt as a suit.











This adds lifetime watch 301 and 302.